Game music of the day: Super Mario World

GR's ongoing tribute to the beloved world of videogame music

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Game: Super Mario World

Song: Sub Castle BGM

Composer: Koji Kondo

Above: Sub Castle BGM from Super Mario World

In Super Mario World, the music definitely sets the tone for each level, whether it's a playful and quick romp with Mario's capeor a quiettiptoe through an echoingcave. Today we celebratea recurring trackthatshould get creditas the primary factor in making each koopaling'ssub-castle so tense and foreboding. The sub-castlelevels were some of the most memorable in SMW, and this BGM is what triggers all that nostalgia.

While this is a great track on its own, I also picked it as an excuse to draw attention to one of my favorite Overclocked remixes of all time, "Monstrous Turtles!" by zircon, which draws from both the Sub Castle BGM and Map 5 (Forest of Illusion) tracks from Super Mario World.

Zircon is a maniac, and this remix is incredible because itbrings outthebest partsin the original track while still asserting its own style - it complements the original without overpowering it. I'd definitely recommend checking out hisother remixestoo if you like this one.

When you hear this song, which sub-castle does it bring to mind first? It's hard not to think ofpunching koopas as you climbacross thegrates in Iggy's castle, butLemmy's castle in Vanilla Dome with those teleporting magicians is a close second.Which koopaling's castle was your favorite?